Lawrence apartment dispute leads to attempted stabbing, felony charges

Magdiel Villa Martinez, 20, faces three felony charges and a misdemeanor after police say a dispute at a west Lawrence apartment escalated into an attempted stabbing on 26th Street just west of Iowa Street. The alleged victim, who police said knew Villa Martinez, called for help after another man hit him and grabbed a knife, and he got away with only a cut to one finger.

Officers spent about 30 minutes trying to get Villa Martinez to come out before deploying Shadow, one of the Lawrence Police Department’s patrol dogs. Police said the dog reached Villa Martinez seconds before his handler and other officers, and that Villa Martinez struggled before he was taken into custody and then to the hospital for minor injuries.

The complaint lists aggravated assault, aggravated battery, felony interference with law enforcement and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. The property damage count was tied to a keyboard. Villa Martinez was later booked into jail and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon.

The case also put the Lawrence Police Department’s Patrol Service Dog Unit back in the spotlight. The city says the unit was formed about 10 years ago and, by April 2025, had seized about 87.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 11 pounds of cocaine, 4.5 pounds of heroin, half a pound of fentanyl and 938 pounds of marijuana. City officials say the dogs are used to help safely take suspects into custody and reduce officer risk, a role that proved central in a cramped apartment setting where officers were trying to keep the confrontation from getting worse.

For neighbors watching the block, the public record points to a fast-moving domestic-style confrontation rather than a wider street crime scene. The city’s calls-for-service log covers most responses from about 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. and redacts some calls, and the visible entries do not show a broader emergency tied to this address.